?<strong>Chapter 409:</strong>


    Carrie’s smile was frosty, her words sharp. “This is funny. Oliver imed you came here to pick me up, yet now you’re questioning why I’m here. So, tell me, which one of you is spinning the tale?”


    Tension cloaked the room as Kristopher and Carrie locked eyes, neither yielding an inch. Standing awkwardly between them, Oliver felt as though he was bncing on a tightrope, the heat of their silent battle making his cor unbearably tight. For all his usual poise around Kristopher, this standoff had him paralyzed.


    Camille, typically Carrie’s fiercest defender, lingered silently at the edge of the room, her conflicted gaze flickering between them. Since bing a couple with Albin, Camille had adopted a calmer outlook, her once-impulsive tendencies softened by her rtionship. She knew that stepping forward now to defend Carrie would only inme tensions between Carrie and Kristopher, handing Lise—an opportunist if ever there was one—a perfect opening.


    Breaking the silence, Lise’s voice was a picture of feigned innocence. “Ms. Campbell, please don’t me Kristopher. He wasn’t trying to keep anything from you. I just happened to be passing by for a meal and bumped into him by chance. If you doubt me, I can show you my schedule—I just wrapped up an ad shoot.”


    As she spoke, she retrieved her phone and stepped toward Carrie, her demeanor full of false sincerity.


    Carrie, however, remained unfazed, her smile cordial but distant. “Ms. Nash, whatever disagreement my husband and I have is private. Even my closest friend hasn’t intervened, so there’s no need for an outsider to overstep. Respecting boundaries is crucial, wouldn’t you agree?”


    Lise froze, her hand lowering as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. After a moment’s pause, she slipped her phone back into her purse, her voice small and regretful. “I didn’t mean to overstep.”


    Carrie walked over to Kristopher and pulled out a chair, taking her time as she sat down. Camille followed closely behind, eagerly nting herself in the chair beside Carrie. Even if she didn’t say a word, her presence alone implied silent solidarity.


    Kristopher broke the uneasy silence first. “I came to pick you up,” he began, his tone calm, though his fingers absently drummed against the table. “But I didn’t expect you toe with Oliver. I ran into Lise by chance.” His words were straightforward, truthful even, but a strange sense of guilt lingered beneath them.


    Carrie nodded, not pressing the matter further, though her gaze was steady and assessing. After a moment, she asked, “What show did you decide I wouldn’t participate in?”


    The question caught Kristopher off guard. He frowned slightly, genuinely at a loss. “What show?” he asked, turning to Lise for rification. “Lise, which show is it?”


    Carrie let out a coldugh, quiet but cutting. She reached for the ss of water in front of Kristopher, took a deliberate sip, and then set it back down with a sharp clink. “How amusing,” she said slowly, her words dripping with sarcasm. “You made a decision for me without even knowing what it was about.”


    Lise’s smile wavered ever so slightly. Herposure faltered further when Kristopher, without hesitation, picked up the ss Carrie had just drunk from and took a sip himself. Kristopher’s well-known obsession with cleanliness made the act even more striking. In all her years of knowing him, he had never done something like this—not even with her. He wouldn’t share a ss, fork, or anything that might suggest intimacy. Even their physical closeness had always been carefully measured, limited to holding hands or an asional hug when she was unwell.


    Her mind spiraled with unbidden images—Kristopher and Carrie kissing, tangled in each other’s arms, sharing a bond that went far beyond the clean, detached affection she had once known.


    Her nails dug into her palms, sharp enough to sting, and the pain brought her back to the present. Pushing through the storm of jealousy in her chest, Lise offered an exnation, her voice steady but carrying a subtle tremor. “It’s Weekend Party. The production team of zing Sun wanted to promote the new drama, so they asked me to join the variety show. There have been constant onlineparisons between my acting and Carrie’s. I didn’t want to stir up any negative buzz that might affect either of us.”


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